I grew up on a family farm outside of Cornell, Illinois, with my parents and seven siblings. Along with farming corn and soybeans, we raised 30,000 pullet chickens from a day old to 18 weeks. As you can imagine, I learned about hard work at a very young age! That mindset has followed me throughout my life and has helped get me where I am today — that and a great opportunity from a man named Delbert Gardner. Delbert owned Gardner Sales and Service, a full-service John Deere Dealership he opened in 1947 in Pontiac. In 1978, he reached out to my dad, Clare, to see if any of his sons were interested in working at the dealership. My brother, John, and I started shortly after that and were soon given the opportunity to become partners in the business. After Delbert’s passing in 1986, John and I became full owners of Gardner’s with

have worked together for over 35 years now and are very proud of the business we’ve grown. My biggest challenge today is the speed in which our customers plant and harvest their crops. KSR parts and service departments are highly trained and equipped to meet that challenge. Our parts departments have invested in one of the largest inventories in the area to supply the parts our customers need. Our service technicians are highly trained and equipped with mobile service trucks to keep our customers up and running in the field. We also heavily promote off-season machine inspections to help prevent in-season breakdowns. I’m one of the lucky ones who love what I do. How can I not when I get to work alongside my lovely wife, Mary, every day? My son, Ryan, and son-in- law, Kyle, joined the business a couple years ago, as well, and I’ve been enjoying passing along my wisdom (and a few responsibilities) to them! Outside of work, I enjoy golfing, deer hunting, watching the Green Bay Packers, and keeping up with my first grandchild, Harper. We are also die-hard Chicago Cubs fans! While I work with half of my immediate family, the other half — my two daughters, Amanda and Morgan, along with my daughter-in-law, Katie — are all in the medical field. Mary and I are very proud of our children and their spouses. Family has always been very important to us and we love to see that virtue continue on through our legacy. KSR Equipment is proud to be a family business with strong customer relationships, all the while providing cutting-edge products and services. We appreciate your business and thank you for your continued trust in us!

hopes to continue the strong values he worked so hard for. With my background in diesel mechanics, I took on the parts and service side of the business. Meanwhile, John headed up the sales and administrative departments. We